Korea opens largest green expo in Seoul as industry seeks decarbonization path

South Korea's environment ministry said Wednesday it will open the country's largest environmental exhibition in Seoul this week, bringing 234 companies together to showcase technology and services for the country's low-carbon transition.

The 2026 Korea ESG Green Expo runs for three days from Oct. 21 at COEX in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said. It is the 22nd edition of the event, which began in 2005, and the first to be held since the ministry was launched.

Organizers have built 433 exhibition booths across five halls around the theme of a "Korean-style green transformation," or K-GX. A newly created power and energy hall will feature renewable energy, energy efficiency technology and smart power management; other halls cover carbon-neutral solutions such as fuel conversion and greenhouse gas management, ESG disclosure platforms and consulting, resource recycling that now extends to solar panels and marine and industrial waste, and green products and construction.

Digital tools used in the transition will be on display, including a physical AI robot system that automates the dismantling of used batteries and a platform that standardizes and verifies corporate ESG data. A special AI zone will present projects supporting the commercialization of AI-based environmental products and services.

The fifth Korea ESG Forum will be held on Oct. 22, the second day of the exhibition, under the theme of turning the green transformation into a growth opportunity and climate disclosure into a trusted asset. Morning sessions will cover the K-GX strategy, the direction of the country's nationally determined contribution, transition finance, domestic sustainability disclosure standards and the voluntary carbon market. Afternoon sessions will address climate disclosure governance, disclosure responses using digital platforms, product environmental regulations, energy transition in manufacturing and life-cycle assessment using AI.

A new "Green Stage" will give participating companies a venue to present their transition technologies, take questions from the floor and explore collaboration between suppliers and buyers. The three days are organized by sector: energy transition and efficiency on Oct. 21, carbon reduction and ESG response on Oct. 22, and AI and robotics-based environmental innovation on Oct. 23.

Export and public procurement consultations will run alongside the exhibition to help green technology and product makers find buyers at home and abroad. A second eco-design policy forum and an environmental research and development investment briefing are also scheduled.

Organizers said the event will be the first domestic exhibition to run a pilot program measuring its carbon footprint, and will cut single-use items while providing tumbler washing machines.

"The Korean-style green transformation is a process of converting the constitution of our industry into a green industry that reduces carbon and creating new growth opportunities," Second Vice Minister Lee Ho-hyun said in a statement. "This year's expo will be a place where companies find practical solutions and new business opportunities for the green transition, and where the public can directly experience the changes it will bring to industry and daily life."